THE voters of Birmingham came close to being given the right to decide who runs their city - five years ago.

THE voters of Birmingham came close to being given the right to decide who runs their city - five years ago.

The Government was all set to force a people's poll with a simple 'Yes' or 'No' question following the debacle of the fudged three-way poll in 2001.

After months of publicly urging Birmingham City Council to ask the people, the Government dropped the issue - against their own guidelines - in the summer of 2002.

It is believed a series of what was then seen as embarrassing mayoral election results had dulled their enthusiasm.

Labour's deputy leader, Coun Ian Ward - a former city cabinet member - said the Government developed cold feet following the election of 'H'Angus the Monkey' Stuart Drummond as Mayor of Hartlepool and of "Robocop" Ray Mallon in Middlesbrough.

"There was a trend for wild card independents, rather than established party politicians, getting elected.

"The Labour Party had been embarrassed at losing the leader-ship of several major towns, so the interest cooled and they backed down."

Birmingham's councillors were instead able to ignore the views of people and its own consultations to vote almost unanimously for the existing leader and cabinet system to continue.

In 2001 the city council had put a non-binding ballot to the people, offering three options instead of the two advised by the Government.

So the vote of 54 per cent in favour of a directly elected mayor was split between what kind of directly elected mayor they wanted, allowing the 'No' vote, with 46 per cent, to claim victory.

The three options had been imposed by mischief-making Labour left-wingers, designed to produce the inconclusive result.

This majority in favour, although over-ruled, followed other polls, most significantly one by the respected independent MORI organisation which concluded: "The idea of a directly elected mayor in Birmingham is popular. The main attraction is the mayor's greater accountability to the people of Birmingham."

The councillors voted in October 2001 not to hold a binding referendum.

This shambles of a consultation was immediately attacked by Government minister Nick Raynsford, who said: "We had informed Birmingham City Council that the Secretary of State was minded to require them to hold a referendum, on the grounds that the council failed to have due regard to the outcome of local consultations."